“The water heats super fast, so be careful.”
She steps past me. Her scent makes my nostrils flare.
Kynval narh veskael.(Not yet.)
She pauses before closing the door.
“Thank you, Andrik,” she murmurs. Her voice lacks its usual rage or humor.
I nod and back away like a coward.
“Take your time,” I mumble. “I’ll be in the living room.”
The door shuts quietly. I press my back to the wall just outside the bathroom, exhaling so hard it nearly collapses me.
The sound of water hitting the tiles starts a war inside me. My chest tightens, and my claws bite into my palms until they break skin.
Go back to the living room. Put some distance between you two. Breathe.
I drag my claws roughly through my hair. It snags, but I keep pulling until my scalp tingles. I choke back a snarl, biting down on my tongue until I taste copper.
I will not break.
I will not shift.
But the bond pulls on me like a leash.
I canfeelher.
Every droplet that hits her skin.
Every rise and fall of her chest.
Every soft exhale.
It all hums through me.
A soft, breathy moan comes from the other side of the door. The sound spears through me like winter itself. I know it wasn’t a sexual moan, but my body doesn’t care. My claws slam into the wall. Suppressing the shift is almost unbearable. If I were any less in control, this door would already be ripped from its hinges. If I were any less hers, I’d already be inside that room.
Kaemorin.
My fingers find the base of one of my antlers, tracing the grooves, over and over. I count them slowly in my head. She’s completely untouched by this bone, and I am unmade by it. One tiny sound, and I’m ready to sink to my knees or rip through steel to get to her. I try to tear my body away, but I’m glued to this wall like a predator listening to its prey.
“Saelûn...” It spills from my mouth like blood.
“Andrik?” She calls, voice muffled by the shower.
“You know how you asked what was wrong earlier?” I say, still pressed against the wall.
“Yes. Why? You sound like you’re in pain.”
“I know this won’t make sense right now,” I rasp, swallowing a growl. “But for now… I need to stay close to you,”
I brace for laughter, but it never comes.
“Okay, big guy,” she murmurs. “If that’s what you need... but I would like to know what’s actually going on.”
“I’ll tell you,” I promise. My spine arches painfully as the shift tries to take over again.
